Physical Therapy
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Physical Therapy To Help You Feel Good and Function Better
Illness, injury or surgery can take a toll on your body. Physical therapy focuses on helping you when you have trouble moving after a health challenge. Depending on your needs, there are different types of physical therapy. But in all cases, therapy is intended to aid your recovery so you can feel and function at your best.
At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), you can receive inpatient and outpatient physical therapy through our Rehabilitation Services. A physical therapist (PT) can help you maintain or regain strength, flexibility and endurance using exercise and other modalities.
About Physical Therapists (PTs)
During a hospital stay, it’s not unusual to have trouble getting out of bed, walking or maintaining your balance. PTs can help with these activities. They can also show you how to do exercises to maintain muscle strength if you’re required to stay in bed. And, after surgery, they can teach you ways to move that are easiest for you and most comfortable.
When it’s time to go home, if you require greater levels of assistance with your mobility than you did before your hospital stay, a PT can also help. You may benefit from our outpatient specialty programs as well.
Each PT at BIDMC holds either a bachelor's and/or master's degree. Many have a doctorate degree in physical therapy. And some have specialty board certifications. Working with students who are part of our teaching program, they personalize treatment to your diagnosis or type of surgery. Their goal is to help you become as comfortable, independent and safe as possible.
Diagnosis & Treatments
To receive treatment from a BIDMC PT, you must have a referral from a BIDMC physician. Once our therapists join your medical team, they assess your needs. Then they work with case managers and other care providers to address those needs.
Sometimes, our PTs work together with occupational therapy experts to help you get the best results. This might be the case if you require orthopedic, spine, or sports medicine rehabilitation, for example. Combined treatment can also be helpful if you require hand therapy or neurological rehabilitation.
Physical therapy assessments and treatments you may benefit from include:
- Balance and falls prevention: We evaluate your senses and look at factors such as your muscle strength, joint range of motion and coordination to assess your risk for falling. Then we focus on improving your abilities and adjusting factors in your environment that might contribute to falls.
- Flexibility exercises and strength training: We assess your muscles and joints. If they’re tight or weak, we can prescribe an exercise program that you can perform standing, sitting or lying down. We can also determine the need for an orthotic or brace and work with other specialists to help you obtain the best fit.
- Functional skills training: With certain health conditions, you may have trouble walking, climbing stairs or moving from a bed to a chair. PTs can train you on how to do these activities, as well as how to get off the floor if you fall. They can also assess how far you can walk or propel a wheelchair. Determining how well you can navigate curbs, ramps and uneven surfaces is part of their assessment.
- Gait assessment and training: If you have trouble walking, PTs can identify any gait abnormalities. They’ll work with you to fix problems that can be corrected. Sometimes, that includes training you to use assistive devices, such as canes, walkers or crutches.
- Manual and compressive therapies: Some health problems can cause fluid to build up in your arms, legs or other body parts. PTs can address this with hands-on therapy techniques, therapeutic exercises and compression bandages or garments. They can also teach you and your family about bandaging techniques, exercises and skin care.
More About Physical Therapy
Inpatient physical therapy services are available daily, including all weekends and holidays, from 7:30 am – 6:00 pm. Services on weekends and holidays are limited to prioritized consults and those patients being discharged home on a Saturday or Sunday.
When you receive physical therapy in the hospital setting, a team that specializes in your medical condition or illness may provide your care. Our PTs work in several service areas.
Critical Care
People who have life-threatening conditions receive critical care. This is offered in our intensive care units (ICUs) or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Intensive Care Units
In our ICUs, PTs consult with staff and assess and monitor your condition and progress. They may educate nurses and your family about properly positioning you. They also help you exercise while you’re required to be in bed. Often, PTs help our nurses get you out of bed for the first time, as well. And to make it easier for you to breathe, they will help you manage airway secretions.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
If your infant is in our NICU, our PTs can consult with you. They conduct developmental assessments on your baby. Then, based on what they learn, they offer suggestions. Their goal is to help you and our nursing staff encourage normal infant development. The PTs often work closely with occupational therapists.
Endurance Training & Conditioning
During a prolonged hospital stay, it's common to become weak. PTs evaluate your response to exercise. They may monitor vital signs as you walk or climb stairs. If needed, they develop guidelines for exercising safely and rebuilding endurance. Therapists may delegate daily exercise routines to other staff they supervise, including students.
Home Safety Assessments
Our PTs provide discharge recommendations to you, your family and your treatment team. They’re concerned about your safety, both at home and in the community.
We ask you detailed questions about your home environment. For example, we need to know the number of steps leading into your residence. This helps us determine if you can safely return home. We simulate your home environment by having you walk household distances and climb stairs. We may also recommend home physical therapy services. If so, we write a discharge plan of care for the home therapist.
PTs may also recommend using durable medical equipment, such as walkers and canes. We supply this equipment while you are in the hospital and teach you how to use it. We can also ensure this equipment is ordered for you when you're preparing to return home.
In some cases, it may be best for you to continue rehabilitation in an inpatient setting. These services may be offered in a dedicated rehabilitation facility or a skilled nursing facility.
Lung & Respiratory Care
Our inpatient PTs may help provide lung and respiratory care and pulmonary rehabilitation. They evaluate conditions such as pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema and offer treatment.
If you’re unable to manage your secretions or have trouble breathing, our therapists may provide chest physical therapy. This therapy is designed to help you breathe more easily. It may include percussion, shaking and/or vibration over your affected lung area to help move secretions.
Therapists may also teach you breathing strategies, help you strengthen breathing muscles and train you to improve endurance. Our therapists are skilled at using special equipment such as supplemental oxygen and suctioning devices. They also use oximeters. These tools monitor oxygen levels in your blood.
Trauma
BIDMC is a Level I Trauma Center. We offer specialized emergency care to those who’ve sustained serious injuries. Orthopedic and neurological injuries that require an inpatient rehabilitation stay are common. Our PTs typically conduct a complete assessment to determine how they can help. They may assist you getting in and out of bed or walking. They can also help you exercise weak or damaged limbs and clear airway secretions. We work closely with your entire medial team to help you get home as soon as possible.
Any time you receive inpatient physical therapy, our PTs stay focused on what you’ll need to recover and safely return home.
At BIDMC, we don’t have a dedicated rehabilitation unit. But it’s common to continue outpatient therapy once you leave the hospital. Your diagnosis and condition determine how often you receive physical therapy and for how long. Therapists may also develop a personalized home exercise program for you.
In some cases, you may benefit from outpatient specialty programs.
Cancer & Lymphedema Physical Therapy
Through our cancer rehabilitation program, you can receive physical therapy that’s tailored to the needs of cancer patients. It’s designed to lessen symptoms of cancer and address the side effects of cancer treatment. The program may be helpful if you have surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a bone marrow transplant.
Part of this service includes physical therapy for lymphedema. Lymphedema causes swelling in your arms or legs. It may occur when lymph nodes are removed or damaged. The condition is a common side effect of many types of cancer treatment.
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
If you have a lung or heart condition, our PTs may help provide cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. Treatment is designed to help you breathe easier and be more active.
Outpatient rehabilitation is often a continuation of services for those who start receiving physical therapy in the hospital following a heart attack or heart surgery.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Pelvic floor therapy is designed to help you properly use the muscles that hold the bladder, rectum, uterus and prostate in place. It may help with problems such as incontinence or urinary or bowel frequency issues.
